Creative Work Database

Listing of creative work related to Singapore.

Our new Creative Work database is a repository for literary and dramatic works related to Singapore which are written by FASS Faculty and Students, past and present. The contents of this work-in-progress call on the theories and techniques taught and researched at FASS. Some of the creative work links to a sample of the original text. Research is also ongoing and the database will grow as we continue to update it. Items with the symbol “i” indicate that an abstract is available.

To search more effectively, please use the MLA or APA citation style which uses the author’s last name and initials.

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To celebrate its 20th anniversary, The Necessary Stage presents a brand new play that deals with the issue of living, dying and the pain in between.
Set in a hospice, Good People is about the ups and downs of the relationships between three people. Miguel is the new Medical Director trying to run a tight ship. Yati is a jaded nurse making the best of a ‘dead-end’ job. And Radha is the terminally-ill patient who is addicted to marijuana to relieve her pain.
As the three get to know each other, complications arise. If Radha gets caught, will she be given the death penalty when she has only a few months to live?
Moving, humorous and evocative, Good People looks at urgent contemporary issues through the test of personal relationships.
The Necessary Stage’s stalwarts, Alvin Tan and Haresh Sharma, team up with three exceptional actors – Siti Khalijah Zainal (Singapore), Rody Vera (Philippines) and Sukania Venugopal (Malaysia) – to bring to the Singapore audience another provocative and socially-engaging production.
According to Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma: “My starting point was the idea of the death penalty in Singapore and how strict our laws are. I was thinking about 2 cases in particular —Australian Van Tuong Nguyen and Singaporean Shanmugam s/o Murugesu both were given the death penalty for drug trafficking. I started to consider, what if the premise was different? What if a terminally-ill woman was addicted to marijuana for pain management and gets caught? Will she be sentenced to death when she only has a few months to live?”

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MINES is a play by provocative Singaporean playwright Elangovan. It is set amidst a fictitious war between Malaysia and Singapore and touches on racism, patriotism and the differences between both sides. This thought-provoking play, which was given a last-minute go-ahead for staging by the authorities, challenges the notion of peace and harmony in the Singaporean urban life.

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Bersendeloka was a theatre event featuring productions of three plays showcasing the work of young and emerging playwrights and directors. These plays were produced by Teater Ekamatra under the guidance of Dr Robin Loon.

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This political satire, which is a play within a play within a play, makes some searing comments on certain policies and law. The primary play revolves around James, a playwright and three actors. When the actors start dying, James is arrested on suspicion of masterminding their deaths. His answers to an interrogation are interpreted as part of a complex scheme to undermine the local government while he defends himself in vain.

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The seven plays featured in “Joel Tan: Plays Volume 1″ capture the intricacies of the modern world with stillness and intelligence, marrying innovative narrative structures with an emotionally authentic core. This collection is edited by Lucas Ho and features an interview with the playwright by Huzir Sulaiman.